Back To Egypt
Deuteronomy 17:16
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
It seems the Lord has much to say upon the matter of right leadership. So often Scripture tells the story of how the Israelites began demanding a king as though it were some great surprise to God. Let me assure you, with God there are no such surprises. Here we see the plan already laid out as it had been since the very beginning. I just love the thorough preparations of the Lord, what about you. Look at such care and concern displayed for his people. He still knew exactly what they would do. How easy it would be to say 'look Lord, your servant hears you' at any time as did Samuel. But no, these people had a rather peculiar habit. They liked to grumble and complain a lot, if you will. You might be tempted to say to yourself, 'how can you tell.' See the record of their flight from Egypt filled with complaints about the lack of leadership, leeks, and lovers. Some of us still do it to this day. If anything goes wrong, we call up half the family and trust me, you will be the first to know.
It was not for nothing then that the Lord left an entire generation to die amid the wilderness save for some faithful few. Even the Lord admits, his people had a problem. In the text is it clearly seen. As they had done before, so they would do again. A time would come, as was their wont, when their envy of those around them lead them to ask of God a king. Nevermind, for a minute, the fact that he is all you ever need. How gracious it is of God to provide for what he already knew would be wanted. Those of you who say the Lord does not care about your needs and wants are sadly mistaken. Sure, he does consider them just as he does the form of man. Yet still the question remains of Psalms 8:4 "what is man that you are mindful of him." Sure, our frame is but dust. Notice though the Words of the text seen in "you shall not henceforth return no more that way." It sounds awfully familiar, does it not. If memory serves me right, a famous actor said that. Yet here it is found all the way back in the Scripture written so long before.
Speaking of frames, notice this particular frame of reference with me. As one so-called prophet says, 'all things are of the future and unto it return.' Yet here we are full circle where the past becomes reality and the things of old return to haunt us. For me, I find the former things to be incredibly scary indeed. How nice it is of God to say, 'when you return to your old ways, which I know you will, let none lead you back to Egypt.' You have all heard of Egypt before no doubt, the land where you once lived in bondage and served another. Just as he provided, so also will he punish for is not setup of the Lord. So, you can trust him with the results. I can hear some of you saying, 'I've never been captive; how can Egypt be so bad.'
Some of you know of what I speak. See, are not the fruits thereof sometimes sweet to eat. In the end your body lies broken and your spirit worn out all the same. Let me put it in more modern terms. A favorite radio host asks the question, 'would you rather.' See, I could always choose to junk the car, take out loans, and divorce the husband. Yet, how easy would it be to change the tires, live responsibly, and make things work out. But if we are not willing to re-write the script and flip the storyline, then nothing will change. See how there is murmuring and want among God's people. All they wanted was a king and a likeness to their other family neighbors. Seldom if ever does it come in such nice terms and tied up neatly with a bow. If it is the wrong person, trust God to take care of them or to straighten them out. Suffer them if you must. But go not back to Egypt under any circumstances.